Satanic worshippers sue over Missouri's abortion law

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A group of Satanic worshippers are suing Missouri's governor and attorney general, alleging the state's abortion restrictions are illegal.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the federal lawsuit on behalf of The Satanic Temple and a Missourian identified only as "Mary Doe" also alleges the law violates the establishment clause barring governmental endorsement of religion.

Missouri law requires abortion providers to give pregnant women information about the fetus' physical characteristics and the fetus' ability to feel pain by at least 22 weeks, and it requires a 72-hour waiting period after counseling.

The suit says the Satanic tenets deny that life begins at conception or that having an abortion is morally wrong.